Sunday Mail
by BrokenShardss
Summary: A spin of Sanctuary. Faith stays with Angel and Buffy never comes. Angel helps Faith on her path for redemption, but starts to fall in love with the new girl she's becoming.
1. That Girl

Title: Sunday Mail  
Pairings: Faith/Angel  
Rating: M, just in case.  
Summary: A spin of Sanctuary. More of a "What if Faith had never confessed and went to prison, instead just stayed with Angel?" Buffy and The Council guys never come in this story, and neither does Kate. Basically, this starts with Angel hugging Faith after the assassin attacks.  
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own anything. It all belongs to Joss.  
Author's Note: I've been watching Sanctuary wayyy too much, and this is the result. I kept thinking "Faith should've stayed with Angel..." Soo yeah.

Chapter 1 - That Girl

"Hey. Hey. Hey. Shh. Hey. Sit down. Shh. It's- it's okay." Angel sat down on the couch with Faith and felt her body press up close to his as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hey. It's gonna be okay. Okay? Shh. Alright. Shh."

Faith kept crying into his shoulder, careful not to touch him with her bloody hands. "I'm sorry."

Angel pulled back to look at her. "He was trying to kill us, Faith. You did the right thing."

Faith avoided his gaze, her sight fixed on her bloody hands. "I didn't... I--I... I have to wash this off." She shifted herself off of the couch.

"Faith, you didn't do anything wrong. Don't let this get to you. He was a demon, okay? One of the bad guys." Angel watched as Faith stood up, her body shaking from fear. He got up and walked over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, I'll help you." He carefully led her to the bathroom and opened up the door for her.

Faith stood in the doorway, still staring at her hands. The blood was slowly drying on them, turning her hands a dark crimson color. Her mind flashed back to the last time she had felt like this. Right after she had killed a demon in Sunnydale. The first person she went to was Angel... and even though she was planning to screw him over, he had made her feel safe. She glanced up, her deep, pain-filled eyes looking into Angel's.

Angel gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Come on." He walked her over to the sink and turned on the water, letting go of her shoulder as he did it. The water ran for a minute, and Angel looked to see Faith blankly staring at it. "Faith." Her gaze shifted over to him, but she still was frozen in place. Angel reached out and took her hands into his, letting the blood cover his skin as well. "You're going to be okay." He put her hands under the water flow, along with his own. He gently scrubbed off all the blood from her fingers, rubbing his hand up against hers. After all the blood was gone, Angel turned off the water and wrapped a fluffy white towel around her hands. "See?" He lifted her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "Everything's alright now." He gently smiled at her.

Faith's body slowly stopped shaking as she felt the warmth of the towel on her hands. When Angel lifted her head, she looked deep into his eyes. "Thank you." She said it quietly, unsure whether or not they were the right words to say.

"You're welcome." Angel noticed the uncertainty in her voice, but knew it was just from fear, and not because she didn't mean what she said. He could tell that she was in pain, he knew the feeling well. She just wasn't ready to open up yet... but she was getting there. He walked Faith out of the bathroom and over to his room.

Faith sat down on the edge of the bed. "I didn't mean to flip out like that." She moved around a bit, as if she was trying to get comfortable in her own skin. "I just got a little freaked with the blood and all, I shouldn't have..." She looked up at Angel and shrugged a little. "I guess I'm trying to say I'm sorry. I really do have trouble with that word, don't I?"

Angel was tempted to laugh at that statement, but he stopped himself and realized what Faith was apologizing for. "You don't need to apologize for getting upset. I understand why it got to you like that. After all you've been through, it must've been hard." He sat down on the bed next to her.

"It was like... I wasn't me anymore. Or maybe it was the real me taking over. I don't know." She blinked a couple of times, her eyes hot from the swelling tears that threatened to fall. "I just killed him. I didn't even stop to think, it just... happened." She closed her eyes at the thought of it, her brain flashing back over memories of all the people she had killed. She shook her head and grabbed it with her hands. "I don't want to be that girl anymore."

"Hey, hey." Angel slowly reached up and pulled her hands away from her face. "You're not that girl. You're a good person, Faith. I know you can be. You just have to believe it."

"Yeah, sure." Faith uttered the words with no emotion, not truly believing them. She wanted to, but something deep and dark inside of her kept telling her otherwise. It tugged on her heart and mind, pulling her into the darkness. She kept hearing a voice inside of her head, whispering things to her. "It's far too late to be saved." She barely even opened her mouth to silently say the words, it was just a stray thought that had escaped her brain and passed through her lips. She bit down on her bottom lip, hoping Angel hadn't heard her.

Angel's head cocked to one side. He heard Faith whisper something, but couldn't make it out. "What'd you say?"

"Nothing." She turned to face him, hoping he wouldn't press the matter. She saw him start to say something, but cut him off. "I'm just tired, I guess." She wasn't really, but it was better than trying to talk about her feelings.

Angel knew something was on her mind, that something was bothering her, but he could tell she didn't want to discuss it. He let it go and stood up off of the bed. "Yeah, I'll let you rest." He pulled back the covers for her, and watched as she slowly slid underneath them.

Faith pulled the covers up to her neck and rolled over, turning her back to Angel. She listened to him leave as she closed her eyes, praying that sleep would come.

Angel stepped out of the bedroom, leaving Faith to work out some things on her own. He would help her when she wanted him to, but for now she just needed to feel safe being here with him. Her rehabilitation would take time, but waiting one more night would be alright. Angel glanced back at Faith's sleeping form, and then looked at the room around him. It was in shambles ever since the demon attacked. He noticed Faith's popcorn that was spilled all over the floor and decided that if she was going to be staying here, he probably should get her some food. He looked back at Faith one more time before leaving his apartment.

Faith tossed and turned in the bed, not able to shut off her restless mind. She finally threw off the covers and got out of bed. She ventured out into the living room, but didn't see Angel there. "Angel?"  
She looked around some more, but eventually came to the conclusion that he wasn't there. She threw her hands up and let them fall back down onto her shirt. "Thanks for leaving me..." She felt something sticky and looked down at her shirt, noticing the blood stains on it. She sighed deeply. "Great."  
She walked over to the bathroom and threw off her tanktop. Her skin was still crawling from getting the demon's blood on her, so she threw off the rest of her clothes and turned on the shower. She stepped inside, the shower pelting down on her back. The water ran down her body in rivulets, moving over her every curve. She placed her hands up against the cold tile wall, bracing herself as the hot water covered her. She closed her eyes and fought back tears. She wanted to break down right there, but shook it off and pushed herself back off of the wall. She finished showering and grabbed a towel off the rack. She dried her face with it, and inhaled deeply as the fabric brushed against her nose. It smelled like Angel. That deep, welcoming, almost comforting smell he had. Faith wrapped the towel around her body, imagining that it was Angel's strong arms enveloping her body instead. The thought brought a slight smile to her lips.  
She walked back out to Angel's room and opened up her bag, searching for clothes. She pulled out a black bra and matching underwear. It wasn't anything too sexy, but it's not like she needed to impress anyone. She pulled them on and scavenged for a shirt and pants. Unfortunately she found everything in her bag to be dirty or ruined. "Perfect, what the hell am I gonna wear now?" She muttered her annoyance aloud, not caring that no one would answer her. She spotted Angel's closet and opened it up. There was nothing that would really fit her, but she pulled out a black button up that would keep her somewhat warm. At least until Angel came back. That small smile started to tug at the corners of her mouth again. She walked out to the living room, feeling a lot better than she had earlier.


	2. Twisted Transistor

Chapter 2 - Twisted Transistor

Angel walked back into the elevator, carrying as many grocery bags as he could in his arms. The paper bags were almost overflowing with chips and soda. He hadn't been sure what exactly to buy, so he had just bought as much as possible. As he went down the elevator shaft, he started to feel thumping underneath his feet. The feeling increased as he got closer to his apartment. He reached the bottom and slid open the door. The thumping still reverberated through his chest, now accompanied by loud music coming from the television. He set down the bags on a table and rounded the corner into the living room. He was surprised to see Faith up and about, and dancing, no less. Dancing around in only a shirt and underwear... that was a new sight for sure. Angel cleared his throat loudly, attempting to get Faith's attention over the sound of the music. "FAITH!" He yelled louder this time, causing Faith to spring around to face him.

She had been startled by his presence and was clutching a cutlery knife to her chest. She sighed in relief when she saw who it was. "Angel. You scared me."

"Sorry." The music was still blaring in his ears and he winced in annoyance. "You mind?" He lifted his arm up and motioned to the television.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry." She walked over and turned off the television, still unconsciously holding the knife against her body. "Finally found MTV. Just thought I'd listen to some music, considering, you know, it's not like you hear much music while you're in a coma." She attempted to force a smile, but failed, and instead she just averted looking at Angel.

"It's okay." Angel's eyes trailed down from her face to her chest. The shirt was left unbuttoned and he looked at the bright steel of metal glinting against her exposed skin. It lay in between her breasts, right above her bra line. It almost looked seductive, a barely clothed woman holding a sharp knife. But Angel knew he had to get it away from her. "You wanna give me that knife?" He slowly advanced towards her and extended his hand out.

Faith glanced down at the knife. She had completely forgotten it was there. She had only grabbed it to protect herself, just in case. "Yeah. I just..." She slowly brought it down from her chest and extended her arm to him. "Didn't wanna risk being attacked by another one of those demon things." She felt somewhat ashamed; she knew that having a knife around probably wasn't a smart idea.

Angel took the knife out of Faith's hand and set it down on the coffee table. "It's alright. I understand, but maybe you shouldn't--" He stopped himself mid-sentence as he took in her whole appearance. He tilted his head to the side and scrunched up his face in confusion. "Is that my shirt?" Although she did look good in it...

Faith looked down and grabbed the edges of the shirt with her hands. "Oh, yeah." She lifted the shirt a little and then let it drop back down. "I'm sort of running out of clean clothes." She did the best she could to hide the embarrassment on her face. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I thought it looked familiar, is all." He smiled a little at her. "I don't really know what to do about clothes, though. I'm not exactly the best at shopping. And with you being a wanted felon..." Angel trailed off, realizing that last part may not have been the best topic to bring up. He quickly continued talking, hoping that he hadn't upset Faith. "Umm, maybe you could borrow some of Cordelia's clothes. I'm sure she has enough to spare."

Faith raised her eyebrows and gave Angel an 'Oh, please!' look. "You've got to be kidding me. Me, borrow clothes from Ms. Malibu Barbie? I'd look like Buffy. A more fashionable version of Buffy." She smiled some at this statement.

"Buffy was fashionable..." Angel meekly said in her defense. His mind drifted back, trying to remember what kind of clothes Buffy wore.

"Oh, come on. The girl was a fashion disaster." Faith sat down on Angel's couch and stretched out, resting her head on a pillow.

Angel scoffed and sat down on the edge of the couch next to Faith's feet. "Like your wardrobe is so wonderful."

Faith sat up to get a better look at Angel. "This coming from the man who doesn't own a colorful shirt to his name?" She playfully pushed his shoulder and laughed. She watched as he swayed a little from the shove, then as he joined her in the laughter.

He turned and gave her a genuine smile. This was the first time he had heard her truly laugh since she had gotten here. It sounded good. A sweet melodic sound, almost. Something that was totally anti-Faith and it was beautiful. "It's good to hear you laugh."

Faith's laughs slowed and became increasingly more nervous. They sat there awkwardly for a moment before the phone rang. Faith sighed and said under her breath, "Saved by the bell."

Angel glanced at her, but chose to ignore the statement. He placed his hands on either side of his body and pushed himself off the couch. He walked over to the other side of the room and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Angel?" Cordelia's voice could be heard on the other end. It sounded as though she was in pain.

Faith got up from the couch and walked a bit closer to Angel.

"Cordy, what is it? Is something wrong?" His voice was dripping with concern for her. If it had been anyone other than Angel, Faith probably would have found it disgusting. But with Angel, it oddly came off as sweet.

"I had a vision. There's a girl… she's trapped in a building. It's near the docks. A big demon thing is keeping her there." Cordelia's voice was muffled to Faith, but the struggle to speak was very apparent. Faith still couldn't believe that someone as petty and girly as Cordelia was burdened with something as powerful as these visions. Faith inched a little further towards Angel, trying to better hear Cordy's half of the conversation.

Angel noticed Faith eavesdropping and shifted the phone to the other side of his head. "Okay, I got it. I'll take care of it. You just stay home and rest."

"Angel? Be careful." Cordelia's voice was still resonating with pain.

"I will be." Angel set the phone back down on the cradle. Without a word to Faith, he started walking towards his weapon cabinet.

"There's someone in trouble?" Faith followed Angel over to the cabinet.

"Yeah." Angel opened the doors and searched for a weapon, not bothering to look at Faith when he responded.

"I guess we're going to the docks, then." Faith tried to reach inside of the cabinet to get a weapon, but Angel's hand wrapped around her arm and stopped her.

"You're not going." Angel let go of her arm, turning back to the cabinet.

Faith pouted a bit, then wedged herself between Angel and the cabinet. "Why not?" She did her best to put on a sad face, jutting out her full lower lip and looking sweetly at him with her dark brown eyes.

Angel tried his best to divert his attention from her pouting face and scanned his eyes over her body. "Well, for starters, you're not dressed." He gently pushed her to the side, going back to gathering his weapons.

"Fine, then." Faith stormed off in a huff, leaving for Angel's room.

Angel glanced over as she left. He hadn't been trying to upset her. He sighed deeply and walked over to his room. He stopped at the closed door. "Faith, I didn't mean to—" Suddenly the door swung open and knocked Angel into the wall, revealing a fully dressed Faith. She was wearing a pair of tight leather pants and one of Angel's smaller white beaters.

"I'm ready." She grinned smugly and pushed past Angel as she briskly walked back to the cabinet and pulled out a long knife.

Angel regained himself after being knocked into the door. He quickly followed Faith. "Oh, no you don't." He reached out to grab the knife, but Faith yanked it away.

She turned herself around to face him, keeping the knife out of his reach. "Look, I'm not getting any better staying cooped up here. Besides, if I start to do anything evil, you'll be there to stop me." The right side of her mouth curved up into a small smile. "But I am going, so no use arguing." Her smile widened and she headed out the door, Angel following reluctantly.


End file.
